Waratahs are fitter and faster, leaving the fans happier

Rugby columnist

Buy of the year? Jacques Potgieter of the Waratahs celebrates scoring a try.

1. Outstanding Tahs have become the opposite of why their fans deserted them. You play like you train, and the Waratahs look like a side that has been told that if an offload goes to deck, the offloader isn't going to be the one in Michael Cheika's bad books, it's the support runners for not working hard enough. Their attitude off the ball is outstanding, and it needs to be because their commitment to getting the ball away in contact shows no sign of letting up. It's a hard way to play - forget the gym, you needs lots of kilometres in the legs - but it's harder to defend, as the Highlanders found out. They are slowly winning the supporters back, and justifiably so. When NSW fans watch this side, they leave content in the knowledge that they have seen a side that has been putting in some big shifts from Monday to Friday. Cheika has brought back a bit of blue collar as well as the star quality.

2. Jacques Potgieter v Nemani Nadalo for signing of the season. Nadolo's contribution is fairly obvious, although the big man is not all just bulk. He scored two good finishers' tries against the Blues as the weekend, the second coming well off his left wing to hover around Dan Carter's shoulder as the refreshed Crusaders playmaker took the ball to the line. But Potgieter has been outstanding in a clearly defined role - set the tone physically. Cheika demanded some extra punch in attack at the start of the second half against Highlanders, and the big South African promptly started bashing his way through the middle. It's not just his carries either - his work as the second/third man in to to support the carrier is unforgiving to say the least. Little wonder that Queenslanders are shooting covetous looks south and wondering where they can find a similar specimen for their own back row.

3. The Force's win against the Reds will not take its place among the competition's classics, although it was peppered with a few outstanding personal performances from Sam Wykes and Pek Cowan. But take a bigger picture and it becomes clear that what the Force have already achieved this year is quite outstanding. In terms of extracting the maximum from their resources, Michael Foley and Highlanders coach Jamie Joseph are right up there from a coaching point of view this year. Queensland were poor in Perth, but the Force have been so reliant on the combination of Alby Mathewson and Sias Ebersohn at No.9-No.10 that to get the win without them was still a good achievement. They have recruited smartly - Dane Haylett-Petty and the stampeding Brynard Stander have offered tremendous value - and Chris Tuatara Morrison has made massive strides at No.12. The gut says the Brumbies are good enough to beat them and deprive them of a losing bonus point in the final round, but the Force have spent the whole year proving people wrong.

Australian team of the week - July 7

4. Reds find a shining light. Young centre Samu Kerevi benefited from some poor tackling in Perth, but his size and strength may have convinced Reds fans they had found a diamond as they morosely peered into the bottom of their empty glasses on Saturday. His energy in a deflated side was outstanding, especially as a young man, he has plenty of power through the hips and the hint of a swerve to slip past the opposition he can't run through. He's probably spent most of his young career to date being the most physically imposing back on the paddock, but there was enough in Perth to suggest he has other qualities too.

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5. Kiwis have unearthed another in Patrick Tuipulotu. The All Blacks already have a few outstanding young second-rowers - Brodie Retallick was fantastic for the Chiefs against the Hurricanes - but big Tuipulotu gives them something different again. He's listed at 120kg plus, and he punched a few sizeable holes against pretty good Crusaders defensive line in Christchurch. But that hasn't come at the cost of his set-piece work - he's a key lineout jumper for the Blues and he doesn't appear to have too much trouble getting that big frame off the ground at the front of the lineout. It's clear that the younger Blues forwards love playing with Jerome Kaino, and it would be a brave man to suggest there won't be a few juicy tussles between Tuipulotu and big Will Skelton over the next decade.

Team of the Week

1. Pek Cowan (Western Force)

2. Tatafu Polota-Nau (Waratahs)

3. Sekope Kepu (Waratahs)

4. Sam Wykes (Western Force)

5. Jacques Potgieter (Waratahs)

6. Stephen Hoiles (Waratahs)

7. Michael Hooper (Waratahs)

8. Wycliff Palu (Waratahs)

9. Nick Phipps (Waratahs)

10. Bernard Foley (Waratahs)

11. Rob Horne (Waratahs)

12. Kurtley Beale (Waratahs)

13. Samu Kerevi (Reds)

14. Alofa Alofa (Waratahs)

15. Israel Folau (Waratahs)

16 comments so far

Was Johnny-boy the only one saying a year or so ago that the Tahs had the makings of a very good team if they kept pursuing their running Australian rugby style game plan ?It's funny how well Australian teams do when they play like umm, err, Australians.

What is funnier is watching kiwis trying to emulate Australian rugby thru their fairy floss ITM Cup and trying to translate that to Super XV rugby. Stick to your knitting girls.

Commenter

johnny-boy

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 8:11AM

About as funny as a SA and NZ forwards adding some starch to the NSW pack and an ex-Crusaders training their backline and kickers. Top shelf comments, can't wait for more.

Commenter

Crusaders.Fan

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 2:11PM

Actually they are holding the Tahs back but Australians are very tolerant and accommodating, as many other intelligent, economic and bitterness migrants over the years will attest to

Commenter

johnny-boy

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 2:47PM

@ johnny-kid..... What are you on? For a person that is over 50 as you claimed,well sport you are one "sick puppy".

Commenter

Muzzo

Location

Orange

Date and time

July 08, 2014, 1:22PM

Cully... I'm sure AAC would feel a little (sigh) disappointed to be the ONLY Tahs not in your backline selection for 'Team of the Week'... but Samu does deserve some recognition :)

2. Jacques Potgieter is, with-out question, the signing of the season for mind. Some bias here yes, but the guy is just electric in his commitment to his job and his team. It must be fantastic to play along side him... I'm sure that's why Kane and Will have grown a leg.

3. Well done Force... and well done Foley and co for re-invigorating this club. Although, shame about the 'Badger having to leave but fully understandable. Wykes had a blinder.

4. Some good ol' news (suppose) for those irritating north of the border types. Well done Kerevi.... y'all come back next year ya hear.

5. The Kiwis are ALWAYS unearthing this or that... and geez... here's just ANOTHER one !

Commenter

Machooka

Location

inner west sydney

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 8:41AM

Settle son....we have no Super titles and those north of the border have 3. Let's get one under our belt first before we get to uppity! :-)

Commenter

Tank

Location

Sydney

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 9:24PM

@ Tank.... "Those north of the border have 3". Not in the professional era son. They only have one. The other two that you are talking about was when the " super rugby", was not fully developed, and was very much amateur, with a majority of teams sending "fill in" players, to play. As it was mate, those, "north of the border", only beat a "homeless,so well travelled Crusaders",in 2011, to win it. It was a magnificent effort by the Crusaders that year, only to fall at the last hurdle. That's rugby for you.

Commenter

Muzzo

Location

Orange

Date and time

July 10, 2014, 1:22PM

Ben Lucas played a great game in a losing side. Sam Wykes played a blinder as he regularly does and why he does not get selected in a Wallaby squad I do not understand. Ben and Sam were every where for their teams . Ben Lucas and his attitude and energy levels needs to be transferred to some of the Reds who collectively don't display for 80 mins the enthusiasm that a winning team needs. I believe it is not their ability but the leadership of the Reds, both on and off the field. Some people respond to encouragement , some to being shamed , some to being shouted at and others to an inner drive . Whatever it is if they take absolute responsibility and not rely on Will or Quade and they have the confidence that they are doing it as a unit, then collectively they will win. I believe they are mentally tired by having to work under a closed lips environment under Reds management

Commenter

Hassan

Location

West End

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 11:01AM

Yes the Waratahs are playing a very attractive type of football at the moment and full credit to Cheika for what he has done to turn them around in a relatively short period of time. Pottgeiter without a doubt the signing of the season and IMHO the reason several other Tah forwards have hit form, esp. Cliffy Palu. the Saffa is inspirational. On the negative side, what a tragedy that none of this is being played free to air. If kids sat with their Dads and watched this they would want to play, and there is the future for rugby in Australia. This is the area that NRL,AFL and Soccer are stealing a march on Union, and it will tell in the future unless the ARU does something pretty soon

Commenter

Poyns53

Location

Coonabarabran

Date and time

July 07, 2014, 12:28PM

@ Poyns53 Completely agree with you about no super rugby live on free to air TV. I personally think when rugby is free flowing like the way the Waratahs are playing this year, it leaves rugby league for dead. But how are youngsters to find out about this? And what a crying shame guys who played rugby in their youth are denied watching it. More league players at grass roots level might defect if they only knew how good some of the Tahs games have been. How about filling us in regarding this matter ARU?